Instead of staying at the very popular Patong beach, Karon was our choice of accommdation. A little quieter but no less pretty. Even the view from our resort balcony was picturesque. With the beaches looking the way they were, it was an easy decision to make regarding spending most of our time at the beach. Bronzed skin, here we come!

The thing I didnt expect about Phuket beaches was the strong waves that came in. Boy, were we caught off guard when we went a-splashing in the waters at Karon beach. The waves looked like you could surf on them. Well, baby surf that is. But were they BIG or were they BIG. The fun part was trying to jump onto the peak of the wave as it comes crashing into you! Hahaha! The resulting failure is having the waves crash over you and wash you up on the sand like a beached whale. Perfect example of (not-so-sexy) beach hair. Haha!

So since we stayed away from where the realll action in Phuket was, a trip to Patong itself was obviously due. If I’ve got any advice for anyone traveling to Phuket/Patong, either 1) stay in Patong and save yourself the trouble of haggling over the price of a Tuk-Tuk or 2) rent a motorbike for about 300 THB a day and ride your way there. Tuk-Tuks cost 300 THB (~12.50 SGD) one way and honestly, I’d pick the second option because in Phuket you can ride a motorbike without a license this whole haggling/bargaining thing really isnt my cup of tea.

Anyhoo, Patong is a must-see if you havent already been there. The Patong market by day was like your regular street market. Stalls were lined up selling cheap (and sometimes dubious looking) food and random jewelry. Motorbikes and cars whizzed by inches away from your leg hair as you browsed the stalls giving you opportunities time and time again to watch your life flash before your eyes.

The clubs and their signs were the ones that amused me the most, especially the Husband Day Care Centre. Patong is synonymous with sex and judging from the position of the banner, husbands placed in the day care centre are gonna gogo for the A-go-go. It’s more likely that husbands will be hankering to be put in the day care centre than be willingly dropped off.

But that’s not even the fun part. The fun begins when night falls and the clubs come alive. Bar top dancing, booty shaking, but the sexciting ping-pong shows happen behind closed doors.

We didnt stay for the shows obviously, but instead took a trip to the beach. In comparison to Karon beach, Patong beach was a lot more crowded and infinitely busier.

We didnt do any of the aerial sports, but opted for water sports, like snorkeling, at the three Khai islands, Khai Nok, Khai Nai and Koh Khai Nui, off Phuket. That was where we got upclose with some of the local residents.

Each of the three Khai islands are a beautiful sight. Whether it was because of the colourful (rentable) umbrellas or the setting sun, awesome shots are a must.

With such a beautiful scenery, of course you’ll have to do the customary swimsuit shot.

Half of the days were spent on the beach while the other half was spent at the numerous markets and malls. Yes, there are several (okay maybe just two) malls in Phuket: Jung Ceylon and Central Festival.

I tried makeup shopping at these places but they didnt have anything interesting or the brands that I wanted. Bangkok has NARS, but sadly not Phuket. So thankfully, I brought my own makeup for the trip! Yay!

In the eye department, I trusted MAC for their mascara, concealer and eyeliner. MAC Studio Sculpt Concealer, MAC Powerpoint Eye Pencil in Engraved, MAC Fluid Line and MAC Zoom Lash to keep my peepers pretty for shopping trips.

Unlike my Hong Kong travel makeup kit, because Phuket’s sun is like no other, you’ll need sunblock for your face on top of slathering sun protection on your skin every 2 hours. So, BioTherm’s BB White D-Tox BB cream was my weapon of choice, giving light coverage and sun protection for a really natural face of the day.

And why do I say Jung Ceylon in Patong is a better mall than Central Festival? For one, it has more things you can shop for. Secondly, it’s not as far and probably wont get conned into paying 500 THB traveling to Jung Ceylon. Last and definitely most importantly, you get awesomely cute shoes at Jung Ceylon! I have no idea what to wear them with, but arent they the cutest? Haha!

Sao Paulo, Portuguese for Saint Paul, is a city that will charm you the moment you set foot into it. From the vast showrooms and warehouses that peppered the dark streets the night we first traveled to the Hilton from the airport, to the stately Brasil flag that flew on its mast, the graffiti laden walls and impressive buildings, there’s a sort of sleepy yet romantic charm about the Sao Paulo city that captures your attention regardless of where you divert it.

The highways make like distinguished men and politely pass each other with a slight nod of the head. Morning traffic at 830am doesn’t seem to be as hectic or traumatic as a peak period should be. In fact, traffic has been smooth to all our destinations perhaps because Sao Paulo is so big. Despite our daily travels and escapades, we’ve really barely scratched the surface of this enchanting city. I’m definite Sao Paulo will continue to charm and amaze us in the coming weeks as things continue to pick up.

Despite this calm, made even more conspicuous in the veil of the rain and an overcast sky today, the energy of the Brasilian people is a stark contrast to the city. Like a strong heartbeat, the Brasilian people are steady and vibrant. Both Samba and football are perfect examples of this brilliant energy. One cannot help but want to dance when in the presence of either. We witnessed the energy embodied in the cheering in the Museu Do Futebol (Football Museum) and Samba lessons at Sociedade Rosas De Ouro. These two experiences were nothing short of fun, excitement and non-stop movement. The colours, buzz of the music and people are infectious and though it’s only been a week, we’ve only about 2 over weeks to the finals on September 12th. Time sure flies.

Hong Kong being home of SaSa, one of my favourite make up stores in Singapore, obviously has no lack of SaSa stores lining its streets. Even overseas, SaSa still remains one of the best places to get make up and beauty products. I couldnt walk into a SaSa store in Hong Kong without wanting to buy at least one thing. The last time I went there I went silly buying darling nail art stickers. This time, I might have overdone the Dollywink products. Because prices are cheaper in Hong Kong and the fact that they carry a wider range of products, I couldnt stop myself.

Now I figured that I was going to buy me some Dollywink lashes too. What did I tell you about overdoing the Dollywink thing? But since I had already bought myself 4 new boxes of fake eyelashes the very day I landed in Hong Kong and applying fake eyelashes regardless of whether they were Dollywink or not was going to be the same, I skipped the Dollywink lashes only to regret not buying them when I got back to Singapore. Haha. On top of that, I did buy myself a whole bunch of new bags, shoes, coloured contacts and accessories, of which the last two were used in the previous face of the day post. I’m sold on those geek glasses!

I was excited to see Brush with Fashion already out in all The Body Shop Singapore stores. The bright colours and graphic packaging is quite different from The Body Shop’s usual range of products. I know I shouldn’t be buying any more make up, but I’d say keep your eyes peeled for the Limited Edition Brush With Fashion Mini Brush Kit (SGD$28.90).

If you haven’t already gotten a basic make up brush set, this mini kit contains four basic must have make up brushes. I’ve always lamented about the difficulty of carrying my full-sized brushes when I travel. Featuring a limited-edition designed pouch by fashion-illustration student Katarina Voloder from the London College of Fashion, the limited edition Brush with Fashion mini blusher brush, eyeshadow blender brush, slanted brush, lipstick/concealer brush is loving cradled in a trendy pouch and might just be my answer for all my travel getaways.

I’ve only sorted through half of them and looking through our photos, it was obvious Michelle and I looked terrible the first day we arrived in New York. I mean after flying for almost 24 hours without proper skincare, we were almost ready to be cast as zombies in the upcoming Resident Evil 4. Well okay, not THAT bad, but we didnt look like we were ready to be in front of the camera smiling.

If you are like everyone else, it’s hard to look like a supermodel after flying 15 hours. Not unless you flew first class, teleported from one place to another in an instant or just are one of them anomalies. But here are some ways you can look picture perfect the moment you get off the plane:

1) Water, water, water
We all know the benefits of drinking at least 2 litres of water a day. But when flying, it’s even more important to keep yourself well hydrated. Cabin air is dry and spending long hours in the aircraft naturally dries your skin out, so dont be afraid to ask your cabin crew for a bottle the moment you board. During meal times, skip the free alcohol, coffee and tea because these drinks dehydrate you.

2) Moisturise
Hand moisturiser, face moisturiser, lip moisturiser. If you name it, you better get it. You wont believe how dry our lips, hands, face got after flying. It felt like our lips and face would crack everytime we moved. Moisturiser helps to keep your skin soft and smooth so when you get off the plane you’re ready with your best face forward.

3) Skip the makeup
Your skin needs to breathe, so dont pile on the makeup while you’re flying long haul especially since the air in the cabin is already limited. If you must, sweep on some blusher, apply mascara or use tinted moisturiser to keep you looking that little bit made up on board.

4) Sunblock
Although you’re not wearing makeup, the one thing you should wear is sunblock. Sun rays get through the aircraft window and at that altitude, you’re that much closer to the sun. The sun’s rays, especially UVA, cause aging.

5) Dont fight the sleep monster
Ever lamented about the lack of sleep we get? Well, getting on board a plane is the best place to fall asleep and not worry about waking up. Except for when they serve your meals, that is. But there certainly isnt anything else you really can do except to eat and sleep. Yay! On a more serious note, sleep, of course, helps to renew cells and is the best natural concealer for dark rings there is.

Thinking about it, 5 tips just arent enough! There are so many things that you really need to prepare to ensure your flight is as comfortable as possible. So let me add on some additional stuff we wished we had done better or did to make ourselves more comfortable on the plane.

6) Keep wet wipes in your hand carry. You’ll need them for everything.

7) Get a neck pillow for a comfortable slumber.

8 ) Pack a sweet or two in your hand carry.

9) Wear comfortable sneakers with socks on board.

10) Carry a leave-in hair treatment or hair serum to get rid of frizziness and static.

I hope I didnt miss out anything. Just in case any of you are frequent flyers or are planning for your next holiday, I really hope this list helps you. I’m definitely keepimg this list close to me the next time I fly.

What do you do on board your flights to make flying that much easier?

The day after we did our tree-planting activity and was welcomed by the Govenor, we set out early in the morning to Kapurpurawan White Rock Formation for a trek. Kapurpuraoan rock means “white rock” and it clearly demonstrated the power of wind, water and rain on rock and coral. The massive rock juts out into the sea and from afar looks as if someone has wiped off the top frosting and exposed the cake that lies beneath. Up close it was a dazzling white rock that sparkled in the sun. But, dont take my words for it. See for yourself.

We’re almost there. We had to trek for a bit. But finally we see the white rock in the distance.

Can there be a more amazing view?

WE’RE FINALLY THERE!

After trekking through rocky roads, by-passing some ponds or whatchamacallit, we finally make it to the white rock. And it REALLY is white even in the distance.

We climb on top the actual white rock and of course, the trigger-happiness starts all over again.

Close up view of the rock formation.

Moving out closer to the edge, we ran the risk of falling into the ocean if we werent careful! Also, the breeze was so strong, our hats were almost stolen by the wind. Everything was flying! See everyone desperately clinging onto their hats. Lol.

Cam-whoring pictures with the awesome background.

Ok. This obviously isnt me. It’s Miss Switzerland who eventually took the title of Miss Congeniality.

Group picture!
Pose girls pose! Wave! Wave!

By noon, we were on the way to Bangui Wind Farm. Because the Bangui area is so windy, plans to construct various tourist attractions were shelved. But, instead of letting the natural energy go to waste, why not make use to Mother Nature’s gift and build wind mills to harness her energy? This is the FIRST power plant in the Philippines and Southeast Asia. There are 20 units of wind turbines rated at 1.68MW each and they are a magnificent sight to behold.

Each structure is beautiful on its own.

But combined with the rest of the awe-inspiring structures and set against the blue backdrop, it is a picturesque scene.

Again, who would pass up the opportunity to take pictures?

Pardon the mad hair. Mother Nature decided to be my hair stylist for the day.

But that wasnt the last of our stops for the day. We then had to travel to Pagudpud, Blue Lagoon, Maira-ra Beach touted to have white sands and waters so blue. We had lunch at Hannah’s Beach Resort and then did a beach cleaning on the Blue Lagoon Beach.

We had a warm welcome reception when we arrived at Hannah’s. Beautiful bouquets and welcome ribbons for us.

Important message for everyone from Hannah’s.

Lunch was in a function room. They had set out tables for us very much like a press conference and we sat facing the audience. Imagine people watching you as you ate. Haha. Very common regardless of where we went in the Philippines.

Lunch is served.

Lunch was followed by a tour of the premises. Hannah’s overlooks the beautiful Blue Lagoon Beach.

And we got to see their cosy rooms too.

But our crucial mission there was to do beach cleaning. Armed with gloves and trash bags, we made our way down to the Blue Lagoon Beach to pick up whatever rubbish that was there.

And we take some time in between to make our fans happy by taking pictures with them. Haha.

Ilocos Norte was amazing and truly unforgettable. We visited so many astounding and breath-taking places that it makes me sad to read that the Copenhagen Summit was sort of a failure.

According to Newsweek, studies made at the environmental summit show that commitments by the various countries will fall short of of its goal to cut carbon emissions sharply enough to hold off a 2-degree-Celsius rise in global temperatures. The United Nations Environment Program found that the world had locked in less than half of the greenhouse gas reductions needed to provide a 50-50 chance of preventing the temperature increase by 2050.

2050 may seem like a long time away, but it is only 40 years into the future considering we’re already in 2010. 40 years later and many of us will be in our golden years. Years that we might want to enjoy with our families or possibly spend retirement in some exotic country where the beaches are blue and the sky in bluer. But, irresponsibility on our part not only causes the temperature rise in our environment, it in fact, costs us OUR home and OUR future. OUR chance at enjoying what Mother Nature has to offer.

The fact of the matter is this: despite already saying we’re TRYING, we’re barely making enough reductions to reach a 50-50 chance of preventing the temperature rise. Maybe we’re just not trying hard enough, or in Mother Nature’s books, we’re not even trying at all.

But the picture is not bleak. There is still time to stall the global temperature rise and we need to do it NOW. The experts will tell you if the world delays action by even a few years, emission cuts will have to be considerably LARGER so global temperatures stay within the 2-degree range to prevent melting ice. Why make things difficult if you can take small steps now?

OKAY. Finally gonna continue from the first post about Philippines. Mad load of photos I photoshopped today!

So after lunch at Fort Ilocandia Resort, we went to the brand new convention center to do tree-planting!

Armed with our sunhats, we walk to our nearby destination where our trees wait for us. Haha.

Remember, if it’s nearby, dont pollute the environment by travelling in a vehicle, WALK!

Following our guides.

Waiting to go to our trees. We hide under some umbrella shade. It is MAD glaring and hot judging by our shades, umbrella AND hat. Haha.

Miss Northen Ireland goes first.

My turn to plant!

Plant tree until glasses all crooked.

A much better picture.

YAY! We did it! Save the Earth!

Taking a breather after HOT work by the cool and relaxing pool in the new convention center.

It wasnt too long after that, we zipped off in our bus to visit some beautiful sites in Ilocos Norte. Paoay Church was our first destination. The church is built of coral blocks and stucco-plastered bricks. It’s architecture is a unique combination of Gothic, Baroque and Oriental. What’s really fascinating about the church is the bricks of the church were said to have been made by mixing sand and lime with sugarcane juice! These were boiled with mango leaves, leather and rice straw. Talk about being environmentally friendly. Haha.

Interior of the church

The main religion in Philippines is Roman Catholic.

When we came out, guess what greeted us?

A HUGE SWARM OF PEOPLE!

No, more like MASSIVE SWARM. They were already gathering when we were preparing to enter the church.

But when we came out, it was just….. PHWOAR!

We had to fight thru the massive swarm of people screaming, pushing and trying to shake our hands to eventually get to the cafe where we were supposed to have a rest. Of course, in the local province, you could never do without tasting local fare. We thus had a snack at Herenia Cafe and got to sample their famous Pinakbet Pizza and Empanada (like a big curry puff).

Here’s the pizza with your usual pinakbet veggies. It was SOOO GOOOD! Om nom nom.

And we had this fried corn thing that is apparently dried first before it’s fried. Crispy, crunchy and salty, it would make a perfect snack for any time of day.

I stuff myself silly while Kayleigh looks on in disgust. Haha!

Even when we’re eating, THEY NEVER STOP HOUNDING US! Look at the camera pointing inside.

By this time, it was already evening. We had to go back on the bus and return to our hotel to shower, get dressed and go for a welcome dinner hosted by the Govenor. It was a welcome dinner with cultural presentation.

So although we were told the dress code was cocktail dress, everyone really dressed up to the nines.

When the event started, it began with a cultural presentation alongside some yummylicious Chinese cuisine.

The final item was the traditional bamboo dance.

And we got to try our hand at doing it! It may look really simple but it’s actually quite hard. I, however, managed to get the choreographed sets right! Yay!!!

The end of the dinner marked the end of a very busy and packed first day. However, day 2 in Ilocos Norte was even more exciting and we visited even more beautiful places.

I’ve done free fall harness jumping from the tops of trees, zipped through the canopies and now, for the first time ever I did a New Moon.

I cliff dived in Boracay off Ariel’s Point.

Unfortunately I didnt have visions of Edward Cullen, nor did I have anyone’s voice talking to me in my head. All I felt after I took the leap of faith, was the nothingness beneath my feet, the rush of falling, a sudden collison with the waters and eventually, its embrace and gentle weight around me.

When I was in the waters, all I could think of was swimming for my dear life.

GASP. Water. Blue. Dont sink, I pleaded.

Frantically treading water, it seemed like I was doing so much and not getting anywhere. Horror of all horrors, what if I was swimming the wrong way?!

Still in water. Still blue! EEP!

Maybe instead of pushing myself to the surface, I was heading deeper and deeper into uncharted waters. Literally. It was as though forever had passed and I was STILL struggling to get to the top. Keep treading, I told myself. Dont stop. Kick kick kick!

Finally, after what seemed like ages, I did break through the surface of the water.

Phew. Major relief. Cue huge megawatt smile.

No, it didnt hurt when I plunged into the waters. It WAS incredibly thrilling though jumping and not knowing when and how the waters would catch you. I didnt know whether I should have held my breath when I was falling but hey, I survived!

Whoooosh!

I may not have done it again on the spot, but definitely am game to take the plunge if asked to do it one more time. This time, I think I’ll do it with my eyes closed.

After my jump, the girls then decided to follow suit. Proud to say I was the first amongst the girls there to dive off the cliff. Lol. Always good to be a trend setter. Haha.

Video!

[youtube= http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SF5JvakOMRU]

Finally the first installment of the many travel posts that will come.

12 girls from Group 3 had to leave one morning bright and early to take a plane to Laoag. I was fortunate enough to be one of those 12.

Checking in. The headache begins. The dude looks appalled at the number of luggages we have. But we only carried 15kg each!

But once all that needs to be done is cleared out of the way, we have time to pose and make our adoring fans happy. Haha.

This is the crowd that has gathered.

In the midst of all that, we take time to cam-whore on our own.

Once we enter the waiting lounge, we still get mobbed by people who want pictures!

So we has to sit and pose nicely.

Sometimes, we turn the tables and ask the photographers to be the photographed. These guys willingly smile and pose. Haha.

After about an hour on the plane, we touch down to blue blue skies!

Welcome reception at the airport. Lovely kiddos present us with sunhats and welcome ribbons.

We were immediately ushered out to jeeps lined up outside the airport. At first we werent sure what they were there for, but we soon found out.

Cruising down the roads along scenic sights.

Check out our entourage.

And little did we expect that the WHOLE town would stop for us. The streets were packed with bystanders. Some just stoof and watch while others were waving, cheering as we zoomed by blowing kisses and doing “queenly” waves.

After meeting our public, we head off to our accomodation for the night – Fort Ilocandia Resort.

Dancing girls welcome us at the entrance.

The interior of Fort Ilocandia.

We can has a welcome drink too!

After checking in to our comfy rooms, we headed off for lunch at the in-house restaurant. We had a HUGE spread prepared for us.

Not only did we get to eat out fill, we got fresh fruit juices too. Elza Miss Kosovo proudly shows off one of the most popular drinks that we girls always order: a mango shake/mango juice! We love it so much because the Philippines mangoes are absolutely the best! They’re sweet, juicy and so very, very fragrant.

After lunch we had a full day of travelling and activities visiting various places, but am gonna save the pictures for a Part 2.

Considering we’d woken up at 3.30am that very same day to travel out from Mamburao, I’d say we did very well on stage. Miss Brazil was the biggest winner of the night. She swept away 3 sponsor awards along with Miss Northern Ireland, who won Miss Island Rose, and Miss Mexico for Beautiful Hair.

The last time we girls got some time off was when we went swimming at Mamburao’s mayor’s private beach. Hoooooo!! Prior to that, we had the tour at the province’s different schools and an open forum cum lunch with the Barangay leaders about the environment. In the sweltering heat, we talked and exchanged ideas about protection of Mother Earth. The short dip in the open seas afterwards was a welcome relief in the melting heat.

After that one good night’s sleep, we’re back on the bus to Manila for a fashion show in Robinsons Mall.